


Faction Before Blood

by PenguinTrippin



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Aged-Up Hiro, Divergent! AU, Erudite turned Dauntless! Hamadas, M/M, Multi, Sibling Incest, Thanks Tumblr, Whoops I'm Hidashi trash now, Wonder how this happened, what is life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-18
Updated: 2015-03-03
Packaged: 2018-03-13 14:30:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3385229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PenguinTrippin/pseuds/PenguinTrippin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hiro pressed the blade into the palm of his hand, wincing slightly as his blood immediately beaded on his pale skin. He spared a brief glance towards the Erudites seated in their section of the auditorium, all straight-backed in their neatly pressed blue collared shirts and beige slacks, staring back at him expectantly. Turning back towards the five waiting basins, Hiro let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He was shaking, he dimly realized, as he held his arm out over the Erudite basin. </p><p>Tadashi’s cold expression flashed in front of Hiro as he watched his blood trickle slowly down his wrist, and in his mind he saw Tadashi in his new stupid fitted leather jacket and black jeans turn away from him even as he banged relentlessly on the window. Anger, deep and bitter, flared up inside him and he watched, expressionless, as his blood finally dripped off his skin to sizzle on the glowing rocks of the Dauntless.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Hiro pressed the blade into the palm of his hand, wincing slightly as his blood immediately beaded on his pale skin. He spared a brief glance towards the Erudites seated in their section of the auditorium, all straight-backed in their neatly pressed blue collared shirts and beige slacks, staring back at him expectantly. Turning back towards the five waiting basins, Hiro let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He was shaking, he dimly realized, as he held his arm out over the Erudite basin. 

Tadashi’s cold expression flashed in front of Hiro as he watched his blood trickle slowly down his wrist, and in his mind he saw Tadashi in his new stupid fitted leather jacket and black jeans turn away from him even as he banged relentlessly on the window. Anger, deep and bitter, flared up inside him and he watched, expressionless, as his blood finally dripped off his skin to sizzle on the glowing rocks of the Dauntless.

*

“What do you mean, I qualify for both Erudite and Dauntless?”

Hiro swung his legs over the side of the fraying chair, batting the test equipment away from him. He rolls his eyes. “Did you mess up? I thought we were supposed to get one conclusive result.”

His test taker – a tall Abnegation man who seemed to be around his mid-20s – quickly shushed him before looking down at him sternly. “You need to listen closely. This is very important if you want to keep that big Erudite brain of yours intact.” 

“And what exactly –”

The Abnegation test taker spoke right over him, calmly and clearly. “You tell anyone that your test results were inconclusive, and it’s your neck on the line. I’m only going to tell you once, but you best take this advice – stay in Erudite, keep yourself low key, tell people your test result told you to stay in Erudite, and make sure no one ever finds out about your test result.” The man turned away to pull a screen towards him, deft fingers flying over the keypad. “I’m changing your result in the system to be solely Erudite, but I can only do so much for you. You need to watch your back.”

Still slightly exasperated and beyond confused, Hiro snapped, “And why exactly is that?”

With a final jab at the system, Test Taker turned to face Hiro, his clear blue eyes narrowed as he focused on the 16-year-old. “Because you’re Divergent.”

“Look, the word Divergent doesn’t exactly mean anything to me –”

“Keep your voice down!” Test Taker hissed at him. “We’re running out of time - people will get suspicious if you're in here for too long. All I can tell you is there are people who will be looking to kill you the moment they find out that you’re Divergent. Believe me, I know this first hand. Just, take it as a blessing that you had me administer your test instead of anyone else, because I can tell you that your head would be rolling on the ground within 24 hours if anyone else knew. Now get out of here and go home, and _make sure you follow my advice!_ ”

Hiro then found himself forcefully thrown out of the facility, blinking under the assault of the sudden sunlight, with more questions than he knew what to do with. “Unbelievable,” he mutters under his breath as he slowly begins to make his way back home. Not only did he have any better of an idea which faction he should pick on Choosing Day, he had been rudely escorted out of the establishment, and was essentially told that despite having done absolutely nothing wrong, he was going to be singled out to get murdered at some point.

_Whoop dee doo._

Hiro kicked at a pebble, bitter and still quite bemused and incredulous, in all honesty. It could be very possible that Test Taker had actually messed up as he had initially thought, and constructed an elaborate threat to make sure he kept his trap shut. Letting out an airy chuckle, Hiro ran a hand through his wild locks before groaning. Test takers are Abnegation typically – them and their pigheaded selflessness made the entire situation unlikely. And what kind of person would have such an intricate lie ready just to deflect blame for messing up the test, anyways? Regardless, the entire thing just seemed so far-fetched.

The teen popped open the first button of his light blue dress shirt and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his nicest slacks – which were definitely too restrictive and stuffy for his tastes – and headed for the skytrain back to Navy Pier, the part of the city that housed the proud glass buildings of the Erudite. 

Frankly, everyone expected Hiro to stay in Erudite. Even though Hiro’s brother Tadashi had left to join the Dauntless four years prior – a huge shock, needless to say, among the Erudite given Tadashi’s intelligence and gentle demeanour – Hiro was expected to be bound to stay. He excelled in all his classes, and was set to work on serum improvements at 14 years old – a job typically allocated to one who had already passed the intelligence initiation test and was well on their way to become a lead researcher in the future. Erudite valued intelligence above all however, and no one could doubt that Hiro in all his genius glory could easily qualify to work on advanced projects. It all made sense.

And it was all just so _boring_.

There was no fun, no joy in performing menial experiments that Hiro had zero interest in. He’d lost his interest in science years ago when his one source of inspiration left without a single backwards glance.

To this day, Hiro resented Tadashi for it.

 _“What kind of rotten brother would leave like that, anyways?”_ Hiro thought sourly to himself as he boarded the train, the old metal doors clacking shut behind him. There had been absolutely no sign that Tadashi was unhappy as an Erudite – in fact, it had seemed to be quite the opposite. Tadashi flourished as long as he could challenge and apply himself, and he was en route to do just that. He spoke animatedly about dreams to create robots and serums and machines that were _‘going to help a lot of people’_ – 

The teen clenched and unclenched his fists, heart squeezing dully – an old, unwanted pain – as he heard Tadashi’s voice cheerfully saying that stupid, goddamn _oh-so_ familiar phrase. 

He had no idea what made Tadashi just up and leave like that, and for a faction that seemed completely the opposite of his personality, no less. 

His fists stopped moving. He laughed bitterly to himself. Who was he kidding? He was pretty sure he knew exactly why Tadashi left. There was only one logical reason, and that was that Tadashi found out about Hiro’s own sick, perverse fantasies. It was the only logical reason for why Tadashi refused to ever acknowledge Hiro’s many attempts to sneak onto facilities to stalk him down, why he never showed up for those slotted visits from family during initiation training, why he _left Hiro in the first place_ – 

The tired beep of the train startled Hiro out of his thoughts. He hurried out of the train – barely squeezing past the doors before they creaked their way completely shut – and began tracing the familiar route back home.


	2. Chapter 2

“Welcome back Hiro, how was the test?” Aunt Cass called, wiping her hands on her apron as she emerged from the kitchen. She bounded forward, short brown hair flouncing in her excitement, before she engulfed Hiro in a bear hug. “Aww look at you, all grown up!”

Hiro laughed awkwardly, peeling himself out of Aunt Cass’ embrace. “It was … okay.”

“Oooh, you have to tell me all about it!” The petite woman hauled Hiro back in with surprising strength for one more hug, before pulling him further into the apartment. “You have great timing – I just finished making dinner! Let me just grab the food and then we can talk.” 

Hiro found himself getting pushed gently into a seat at their small dining table. Aunt Cass sidled into the kitchen before reappearing soon after with a plate laden with chicken wings, red hot sauce slathered generously over the browned meat. The smell was positively _heavenly_ – it was just enough to briefly push Hiro out of his jumbled mess of troubled thoughts to allow himself to appreciate the genius that was Aunt Cass’ spicy wings.

“I made your favourites to celebrate before Choosing Day!” Aunt Cass hummed. “Now,” she punctuated the word with the sharp clang of the platter as she dropped it onto the table, “tell me about the test, give me every detail!”

Oh, right. 

Suddenly losing interest in the food in front of him, Hiro picked up his fork, twirling it pensively between his fingers. He had so many questions, so many problems that were all clanging obnoxiously in his mind for attention. Why Erudite and Dauntless? Why get two factions at all? What is he supposed to pick now ( _stupid test wasn’t even able to tell him that much_ ) – what can he pick, really, with Aunt Cass still in Erudite? And most importantly, what on _Earth did Test Taker mean by saying that people were looking to kill him_?! (And it certainly didn’t help that the same old tired ache from the part of him that missed Tadashi so goddamn desperately was pining to be noticed as well, but Hiro was trying his damned best to ignore this one.) More than slightly overwhelmed, Hiro’s mind drew a blank. 

“Well, I kinda got Erudite … I mean, I guess that’s pretty expected, huh,” Hiro finished lamely.

His aunt grinned at him playfully as she reached out to spear a wing on her fork. “You _kind of_ got Erudite?”

“I mean, yeah, I did, I _guess_ ,” he said. He reached out to stab at a wing moodily. He wasn’t lying, technically. 

There just was the fact that Test Taker had told him he could just as easily qualify for Dauntless.

“Hey kiddo,” Aunt Cass’ surprisingly gentle voice broke through his thoughts. Hiro looked up at her to find her grin had melted away into a concerned frown. “What’s the matter?”

Hiro hesitated, hearing Test Taker’s insistent voice in his head ( _‘You tell anyone that your test results were inconclusive, and it’s your neck on the line!’_ ). He chose his words carefully, picking his way through the thoughts swirling dizzily around in his head. “I don’t know, I guess I’m just … confused.”

His aunt’s rapidly changing expressions spoke volumes to her internal struggle. “Is this …” Aunt Cass’ voice was measured, deliberate. “Is this, maybe, about you wanting to change factions?”

“No!” Hiro said quickly. Even if he wanted to, it wasn’t an option. Aunt Cass had no one else left in Erudite, given his parents had passed 13 years ago. Now that Tadashi had walked out of their lives 4 years previous, it wouldn’t be fair to her if he left too. She certainly wasn’t getting any younger, and with no children of her own to speak of, no other family left in Erudite … “No, I wouldn’t do that. It wouldn’t make sense.”

“Hiro …” Aunt Cass took a deep breath. “You should know that no matter what, I’ll always love you. It doesn’t matter to me if you want to choose a different faction, as long as it makes you happy.” Aunt Cass offered him a small but genuine smile, reaching over to affectionately ruffle his already wild hair.

Hiro sighed. “Thanks Aunt Cass, but it’s not that.”

She blinked. “It’s not? What is it then?”

Hiro chewed on his lip subconsciously. The multitude of thoughts were beginning to be a huge nuisance, he thinks, as they are starting to feel like they’re banging tiny fists on the crooks of his brain, demanding _hey, listen to me, I’m a REALLY problem you need to solve pretty freaking soon, HEY LISTEN –_

He was told explicitly not to say, but this is Aunt Cass …

“Say …” he began slowly, setting his untouched chicken wing down. It was now or never. “Is it normal to get more than one faction as a test result?”

He stared down at the glass pane of the dining table, watching his own pale face looking back at him. His face was pinched with worried anticipation, he noticed, and his eyes looked dull in the distorted reflection of the glass. He dug his fingernails into his palm.

Maybe deep down, he knew what the answer was, even as he asked the question. 

The soft clicks of the clock fill the hollow space of the room. When the silence got too unnerving, he dared a glance under his bangs.

His aunt sat with a chicken wing still in hand, her face definitely far too pale to be faked. Her expression had frozen somewhere between concern and horror. Hiro might have found it comical if her reaction didn’t just validate his fears.

Hiro felt his stomach drop. So Test Taker wasn’t kidding.

“Aunt Cass?”

This seemed to yank his aunt back to life. Her chair shrieked in protest when she jerked backwards, before she reached across the table for her nephew’s hand. “Hiro,” she said, tone brittle with an emotion Hiro couldn’t quite pinpoint. “I need you to be honest with me. Did your test come back as inconclusive?”

In his 16 years of life, Hiro had never seen Aunt Cass so tight strung. Her eyebrows knit together, and her lips were pressed into a thin line. Her grip on his hand was so strong that he could feel her fingernails dig into his skin, her hand trembling slightly under the pressure. Frankly, it terrified him. “I-Is that bad?”

“Hiro, answer the question. This is important.” Her fingernails dug ever-so-slightly deeper.

“I – yes. Yeah, it came back inconclusive.”

His aunt sat back in her seat, her face suddenly looking more drawn and tired than Hiro had ever seen it. “I should have known.” She looked towards him – Hiro noticed with a jolt that her eyes were tinged with red, and shallow grooves that were never really there before lined her forehead – before standing up to pull him into a hug. “Oh, Hiro …”

He wrapped his own thin arms around her hesitantly. “W-what does this mean?”

“Listen,” she said, pushing out of the embrace to look the teen in the eyes. “No one else can know that your test results were inconclusive.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that one already,” he couldn’t help but grumble sourly. “Any idea why?”

Aunt Cass shook her head, brown locks bouncing with the movement. “All I know is that …” she hesitated, clearly undecided on her next words until Hiro gives her a pointed look. “Well, your mother, it was the same deal with her – multiple factions listed for her result, inconclusive test. She stayed in Erudite, tried to keep it low-key, but I guess someone found out. Next thing I know, both her and your father’s bodies were being pulled out of some alleyway. They never bothered to explain the cause of death, or to even allow us a small funeral.” 

Hiro glanced up at her sharply. “I thought they died in a train crash.”

The petite woman smiled at him apologetically. “I couldn’t very well tell you, you who were three years old, that I suspected that some sort of authority murdered your parents.”

They once again lapsed into a silence. Hiro had no idea what to think, apart from the fact that he quite literally, was in danger. He felt like he was walking on a thin rope to nowhere, but one small misstep would leave him tumbling into a dark, gaping chasm. Problem being, he had no idea where the next expanse of rope was.

“So …” Hiro looked up as Aunt Cass’ low voice broke the empty silence. “What factions did you get for your result?”

“Erudite and Dauntless.”

Aunt Cass let out a high breathy giggle, one that didn’t sound at all like she found the situation amusing. “Figures it would run in the family.”

Hiro shot her a questioning glance, before her face crumpled and she began to sob.

*

Hiro threw his leg off the side of the bed, arms thrown haphazardly over his head as he turned for what was most definitely at least the fifteenth time in the last hour. After Aunt Cass crushed him in another one of her hugs, sobbing about how she couldn’t believe that _this is happening again_ , she asked him what he was going to do.

And honestly, Hiro had no idea.

He knew he shouldn’t leave Aunt Cass to live in their once full apartment, to be haunted by the shadows of his dead parents, to be left to listen to the cold empty silence where once there were rambunctious shouts and alarming bangs of his and Tadashi’s antics. But he was honestly so stifled in Erudite. He wondered idly if he stayed, whether he would die of suffocation before anyone decided to off him for having inconclusive test results.

Also, his mother chose to stay in Erudite, and look where that got her. Six feet under with nothing more than the vaguest trace of a memory left of her and her husband.

Hiro felt panic begin to bubble up his chest. He flipped himself over to let out a muffled scream into his pillow, biting down hard into the worn cloth. Feeling unsettled, hysterical, and more than a little frustrated, he flew out of his bed and throws himself at the window, wrenching it open to let in the light summer breeze.

Shoulders still heaving with the exertion, Hiro found the night air does little to soothe his quickly failing nerves. He needed out, now.

Without giving himself a chance to think about it, he padded over to his closet to tug a navy blue t-shirt and a pair of loose slacks out of his stack of blue Erudite garments. He threw them on as quickly as he could, before sliding over to the window and peering out. Good, the tree branches still more or less stood where he remembered them to be. As silently as possible, he clambered onto the window sill, before sliding his arms out to grasp tightly on the rough bark of the old oak tree. After giving the branch an experimental tug, he held his breath and with his heart pounding in his throat –

\- he let his body swing out the window.

Hiro barely managed to stifle a shriek as he swung perilously, the branch waving warningly as he dangled several feet above the ground. This was a lot more difficult than he remembered it to be, he thought miserably, as his arms shook from simultaneous fear and weariness.

Slowly, _slowly_ he inched himself closer to the trunk of the tree, before he managed to safely drop himself onto the next branch. Taking it a lot slower than he would like, he eventually half-fell, half-leapt to the ground, the impact jarring his knees. 

As he took a moment to take a few gasps of the warm summer air, it hits him. This was the first time in 2 years that he’d snuck out of the apartment. He definitely was not as fit as he was before, but _damn_ , did it feel nice to finally have some space to do what he wanted, to be a little bit rebellious –

He knew why he stopped making the excursions, but it didn’t make this moment of freedom any less sweet.

He felt his feet carry him automatically to God knows where, and he let them. He just wants time to think before he seals his fate tomorrow at the Choosing Ceremony, and it just wasn’t happening in his stifling room, where his bed is still tucked away into a half of the room even though Tadashi had long since vacated his side of the bedroom.

Which was, incidentally, the reason why he had begun making these trips out of the Erudite sector anyways.

At the age of 12, Hiro had innocently believed that Tadashi would always be there with him, building robots and inspiring him to always ‘look in new angles,’ or to ‘use that big brain of his.’ And so he found it far too hard to believe when Tadashi left Erudite – for Dauntless, no less – without so much as a warning. Hiro had – embarrassingly enough – cried himself to sleep the first couple nights. 

And then he began to sneak out.

At first, he just planned it to be that one time, no more. He wanted his brother, he wanted to know why he left, he wanted to know that it _wasn’t his fault_. But after a few too many close shaves that night, he retreated back to the apartment, heart pounding altogether far too fast, his forehead and back slick with sweat. But then he would summon his courage and try again.

And again.

And again.

(On occasion, he’d bring some inventions along to aid the process. He’d once sicked Megabot on a Dauntless guard after his frustration mounted from one too many failures.)

It wasn’t until he was 14 that he had finally seen Tadashi again.

Hiro shook himself out of his thoughts, grimacing at the memory. Looking around, he slowly began to recognize the buildings.

He wanted to laugh, bile rising in his throat.

Him and his traitorous muscle memory had taken him towards the Dauntless compound.

He could turn around, he mused. But an insistent part of him – one that he had never truly quashed – made him continue moving forward, taking care to step lightly as he neared the looming Dauntless concrete building. If his memory served correctly, there would be – 

Footsteps sounded in the quiet summer air, and Hiro quickly skirted around a wall, making sure to conceal himself in the shadows. There it was – the patrol was making his rounds around the compound.

With practiced ease, he held his spot for a few heartbeats as he listened to the footfalls travel farther away. Sliding around the walls, keeping to shadows as much as he could, Hiro made his way towards where he had last found Tadashi. He hardly expected his brother to be in the same room after 2 years, but it couldn’t hurt for him to take a peek before heading back to Erudite quarters.

Holding his breath, Hiro inched towards the door that he knew would lead him into the weaponry area. Turning the handle slowly, he pushed the door in carefully – wincing when the door creaked in protest – and threw himself inside.

Pausing briefly only to slip off his shoes, Hiro began to trot down the hallway. The place was just as gloomy and dank as he remembered it, unfortunately, but as for everything else …

Hiro tensed up, catching the distinct sound of quick, measured footsteps rapidly approaching. Cursing internally, he threw himself around the corner and slunk back into the shadows. 

Blood was roaring in Hiro’s ears as his heart pounded harshly against his ribcage. In his mind, Hiro chanted, _‘Please don’t find me, please don’t find me, PLEASE DON’T FIND ME –”_

Whoever the footsteps belonged to was definitely making a turn around the corner now. Hiro mentally ran over every curse he knew as he attempted to flatten himself further against the wall. Why didn’t the Dauntless compound have more hiding spots, anyways?!

As a tall figure rounded the corner, Hiro got a decent view of the Dauntless. The man, dressed in black jeans, a fitted leather jacket, and a black v-neck that clung to the faint lines of his abs, had a distinctly lean figure. Hiro barely held back a whistle – though the guy was skinny, he was definitely fit; the grooves of his snug clothing hinted at the defined lines of a well-built body.

Keeping a wary – and definitely curious – eye on the man, Hiro watched as the figure stepped under a light.

Suddenly, Hiro felt winded, as if someone punched him in the stomach.

_T-Tadashi?_

Belatedly, Hiro realized that he had whispered his brother’s name out loud when the man started and turned towards him. 

Ohh, that was definitely Tadashi alright. That much was obvious, even with the past two years of growth under his belt.

(Hiro tried his best to not think about how unfair it was that puberty had been so kind to his brother.)

His brother’s stupidly good-looking features quickly hardened from his initial surprise. “Hiro …”

The teen in question let out a high-pitched giggle. “Hey Tadashi! Fancy, uh, seeing you here, am I right?”

Tadashi folded his arms across his toned chest ( _Hiro, stop!_ ). He raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing here?”

“J-just taking a stroll, you know, damned nerves before Choosing Day and all that, haha – _woah_!”

Tadashi grabbed his younger brother by the wrist and tugged him towards the exit. “Look, you need to go.”

Hiro desperately squashed the instant sparks that erupted under his skin from his brother’s touch. “Tadashi, look, can’t we at least, you know, talk?”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

“What do you mean –” Hiro began to struggle for earnest against Tadashi’s vice-like grip on his wrist, digging his heels into the ground. “It’s literally been two years since I last saw you. Two years, Tadashi! And you say there’s nothing to talk about?”

Tadashi had gotten a lot stronger, much to Hiro’s dismay, as his efforts did little to stop the elder from pulling open the large steel door he had entered from and tossing him out of the building. “You can’t come here anymore. Go back to Erudite.”

And with that, Tadashi shut the door with a clang.

“What, no –” Hiro ran back at the door, pulling at the doorknob, only to find that Tadashi had most likely locked it from the inside. He ran around the side to the small dusty window looking back into the hallway. He slammed his fist into it as Tadashi walked by. “Let me back in, you asshole!”

Tadashi looked up to fix him with a cold glance, before stalking past the window. 

“Oh, I see how it is!” Hiro fumed. “Faction before blood, isn’t that right, dear brother?”

Hiro let his fist fall to his side. Feeling his anger start to ebb as misery and frustration began to take its place, he could only watch as his brother, once again, disappeared into Dauntless quarters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst, angst everywhere


	3. Chapter 3

_14-year-old Hiro swung into the concrete building with practiced ease, scoffing at how simple it was to slip past Dauntless defenses. And they called themselves the protectors of the city._

_It wasn’t like he expected to find Tadashi at this point, but sneaking into Dauntless property became somewhat of a routine._

_Hiro slipped off his shoes to soften the echoing clinks of his footsteps before he began padding down the dark, cool hallway. He relished the familiar sense of adrenaline, the palpable throb of his heartbeat, the way his body hummed in its tension. Honestly, sometimes he wondered if he’d make a better Dauntless than Erudite._

_He walked quickly, following a route long since memorized from the previous two years of practice. The slowly increasing tremors in the ground told him that he was going the right way, and he could begin to feel the soft coolness of mist dance around his lean form. Hiro pulled his navy blazer tighter around himself as he started jogging towards what he knew is the entrance to the bridge._

_Back in Erudite, Hiro was always surrounded by pristine glossy surfaces, the expansive buildings built from glass windows and inky shining counters. The Dauntless quarters were a much needed breath of fresh air – gloomy as they were, the earthy scent of mist and dust, the rumbling of the passing train and the gushing water, and the soft flicker of dim fluorescent lights were so drastically different from home. Where Hiro should have long since given up on sneaking into Dauntless property, he instead felt himself drawn in like a moth to flame._

_Rounding around the corner, Hiro felt his excitement mount as he quickly neared his favourite midnight haunt – the steel bridge that spanned across the deep, dark chasm, filled with the roar of furiously gushing and foaming falls._

_Familiar flecks of water droplets began peppering Hiro’s face, and he took a step forward onto the beginnings of the steel bridge –_

_As the bridge let out a muffled clang from his step, Hiro’s blood ran cold as he saw a figure turn towards him._

_Someone was already there._

_He stood, rooted into position for a heartbeat as panic overwhelmed his senses, watching as the figure began to approach him. Forcing himself to move – ‘C’mon Hiro, get a grip already!’ – he took one tremulous step back._

_Then two._

_Hiro turned tail and ran._

_His heart pounded in tandem with his footfalls, his adrenaline leaving him breathless as he fled down the hallway. He could hear the tip tip tip of running chasing behind him, and his panic began to mount as soon as he realized that his slight Erudite build could in no way out-run what was definitely a trained Dauntless member._

_‘Lo and behold,’ he thought miserably as he felt lean, hardened arms wrap around his waist before he was unceremoniously pinned against the wall, one hand twisted behind his back as he used the other to catch himself before he slammed into the hard concrete. ‘I knew my two year streak was too good to be true.’_

_Hiro breathed hard against the wall, trying to twist himself out against the hard plane of muscle that pressed against his back. Mortifyingly, he could feel himself becoming hyper-aware of each breath the other took, to the slight tightening of large hands around his own slender wrists, down to the friction of a broad chest shifting against him. ‘Focus, Hiro,’ he scolded himself internally, ‘I swear, of all times you could choose for your pubescent mood swings …’_

_“You’re Erudite, right?” a low, deep voice said next to Hiro’s ear, causing Hiro to shiver. “What exactly are you doing here?”_

_Oh._

_There it was._

_That was definitely the voice that haunted Hiro in his dreams._

_A hysterical laugh threatened to bubble out of Hiro’s throat as he processed the irony of it all. He spent two years searching for Tadashi with no success whatsoever, and when he does finally meet his brother again, it’s Tadashi who had found him first._

_“Oh, I don’t know,” Hiro retorted shakily, his wavering voice limiting the effect somewhat, “Looking for you, probably.” He made the effort to try and turn his face towards the presence against his back to glare at the other, though with little success._

_“You –” All of the sudden, the tense hold on his wrist slackens as he is allowed to finally turn around to face his assaulter. “Hiro?!”_

_18-year-old Tadashi looked down at Hiro, shock evident in his wide hazel eyes and almost comically raised eyebrows. The past two years have been kind to him, Hiro thought bitterly, and he noticed that while his brother was still lean and definitely on the skinny side, his once soft features had hardened somewhat, his form-fitting t-shirt hinting at what was definitely a well-maintained body. It suited him though, Hiro could only admit grudgingly._

_“In the flesh.”_

_“What – why are you here? Why aren’t you with Aunt Cass? What on Earth –”_

_“Not too many questions now,” Hiro couldn’t help but interject cheekily. “I can only handle so much at once.”_

_Tadashi sighed, closing his eyes briefly as if to collect himself. “Okay. Tell me this, why are you here?”_

_“Truthfully? I’ve been coming here to try and find you.”_

_“Been coming?! You mean you’ve been here multiple –” Tadashi groaned, running a hand through his thick head of dark inky hair. “Okay, from the top. Why are you trying to get a hold of me, anyways?”_

_“You do realize you literally up and left us with zero explanation, right?” Hiro remarked dryly, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “And you refused to see both me and Aunt Cass on Visiting Day way back when. I think you at least owe me an explanation.”_

_“Wait, you mean to tell me that you’ve been sneaking out of Erudite, past Dauntless security for how long now just to get an explanation out of me?” the elder of the two shook his head disbelievingly. “Do you have any idea how reckless that is?”_

_“Aren’t you supposed to be the epitome of recklessness now that you’re in Dauntless? Also, don’t change the subject.”_

_Tadashi hesitated, before beginning slowly, “I … I just felt Dauntless suited me better. That’s all there is to it.”_

_Hiro stared at his brother’s face, noticing discomfort written all over his features, the unnatural set in his shoulders. “You are a terrible liar. That was weak, Tadashi.”_

_“Look, Hiro,” Tadashi looked almost vulnerable for a second, but the look was so brief that Hiro wondered if he had just imagined the entire thing, “I can’t tell you, and you’re just going to have to accept that.” His brother’s features cemented into cold determination. “Don’t come here again. I won’t hesitate to call authorities, or to throw yourself out myself if I have to._

_Faction before blood, Hiro. You’d do well to remember that.”_

*

Hiro was all nerves and guilt as he was ushered into the cafeteria with the other nine non-Dauntless born initiates. Aunt Cass’ fearful and distressed face haunted him throughout the tour of the Dauntless compound, and his trainer’s offstandish attitude was certainly not helping (Four, he said his name was; Hiro had been a breath away from questioning him on his odd choice in nickname, but chose otherwise when the other gave him a distinctly cold look).

He wasn’t quite sure what he thought he’d accomplish, coming to Dauntless like this. 

Who was he kidding? He's a tiny, stick of a teen with minimal fitness to speak of. Maybe it wasn't safe in Erudite for him, from what Aunt Cass had said, but it sure as hell didn't mean he'd be safe in Dauntless. In fact, he might be crushed to death under some macho Dauntless man's bicep before he even gets called out for being Divergent.

Hiro was shaken out of his thoughts as his knees buckled under the sudden weight of a large hand on his shoulder. “What’s up, little man? I can practically hear the gears in your head going at it again.” 

The small sixteen-year-old looked up to see a wide grin stretching the familiar face of Wasabi. A fellow Erudite transfer, Wasabi was someone Hiro had seen on a somewhat regular basis back in Erudite. It was definitely a surprise to see him as a Dauntless initiate though – despite Wasabi’s hulking figure, Hiro had a hard time pegging the fussy teen to fall in line with the bravery and strength that the Dauntless value.

Hiro snorted. “For the last time, Wasabi, we’re the same age, and I’m not that little.” Ignoring Wasabi’s muttered ‘oh yes you definitely are,’ Hiro plowed on, “I’m just thinking about transferring. I’m still having a hard time believing that we’re both actually in Dauntless now.”

“It is pretty insane, isn’t it?” the larger teen said, shrugging off his navy blue blazer as they began seating themselves in one of the few empty spots at the long wooden tables in the cafeteria. “One moment we’re in Erudite, and the next we’re in a completely new place.” Wasabi frowned across the table at the platter of flat hamburgers with deflated buns, before brightening up as his gaze wandered to a nearby pitcher. “Oh look, they have pop!”

“Can we sit here?” a high female voice broke in, just as Hiro began reaching towards the platter. He glanced over his shoulder to see a disconcertingly tall girl (why must everyone be so much taller than him?) peering down at him with wide vivid green eyes, set on a small face that was framed with long, stretching strands of blonde tresses. Her slender arms wrapped around the bright yellow of her dress. Stood behind her was a grinning boy who had his hands behind his baggy red shirt; he looked like a veritable ball of energy, as he was bouncing up and down on his heels, and seemed a little incapable of slowing down. Amity transfers, it looked like.

“Sure,” Hiro shrugged, waving down at the open bench next to him. 

“I’m Honey, and this is Fred,” the girl clarified as the pair take a seat next to Hiro. “Are you two Erudite transfers?”

“Yep! Name’s Wasabi, this little one’s Hiro.” Wasabi waved from his end, already nursing a full cup of fizzing dark drink. "Nice to meet you."

_“I’m not little –”_

“Of course, little man.” Wasabi flapped a large hand in Hiro’s general direction. “I’m surprised Amity kids would end up here though; isn't your faction completely different from Dauntless? I mean, what with all the kindness and happiness versus this whole bravery and ruthlessness sort of deal.”

“Be careful, dude,” the Amity boy – Fred, his name was – warned as he tugged the quickly emptying platter of burgers towards himself. “Honey might look super innocent, but she can be vicious when she needs to be.”

“Er, ‘dude’?” Hiro interjected, glancing back at Wasabi who shrugged back at him, looking equally baffled.

“Whatsup, dude?” Fred looked at Hiro curiously, before taking a large enthusiastic bite out of his burger. (“No Fred, you forgot the ketchup and the mustard,” Honey scolded, pushing the condiments towards her companion.)

“No, as in –” Hiro paused. “Uh, I take it ‘dude’ is a way of addressing someone?”

Fred’s confused expression immediately morphed into one of shock. “ _You don’t know what ‘dude’ means?_ How do you live? How do you even call yourself human?!” 

Honey patted the horror-stricken teen on the arm as she reached over him for the pitcher. “They’re Erudite, Fred. They’re probably not as familiar with slang. At least, that's what I hear about Erudite.”

Fred’s expression only eased slightly to give way to a distinct look of pity. “Man, that’s hella rough. It’s okay dudes, I got you!” Hiro jumped as Fred lunged over to grab his hand, nearly upsetting the nearby ketchup bottle. Fred fixed the smaller teen with a determined grimace. “I’ll teach you all the slang you’ll ever need, so you don’t have to worry, okay?”

Hiro leaned away a little bit. “Er, I’m not worrying!” he squeaked. He heard Wasabi snort behind him, and he turned to glare at his fellow Erudite transferee, who quickly pulled his face into one of exaggerated innocence.

Just as suddenly, Fred let go, lifting a finger as if preparing to give a lecture, forcibly reminding Hiro of the droning voices of his professors that he had to suffer through back in Erudite. “Your lessons begin now! First things first, you gotta know what ‘hella’ means.”

Half-listening to Fred’s incredibly enthusiastic lecture, his gesticulations a touch too energetic for the limited space at the table, Hiro glanced around the dining hall. His feelings were still a little sore from the previous night’s encounter, but he couldn’t help but look. His eyes automatically sought for broad shoulders and head of thick black locks, for the tall, lean back that used to be so familiar.

After two, three rounds around the hall, Hiro groaned, frustrated, and turned back to half-heartedly listen to Fred describe the intricacies of the different uses of the word ‘bro’. Even after Hiro’s dropped everything to come to Dauntless, of course Tadashi would prove to be as elusive as usual. 

Disheartened, Hiro set his burger back down, appetite gone with Tadashi’s absence.

*

“Yo, Tadashi.”

“Hmmm?” The man in question stopped to face the small stocky female that was jogging towards him, watching as her layered crop of purple-streaked hair flounced around her surprisingly delicate features. “What’s up, Gogo?”

“What’s bothering you?” Gogo said as she slowed to a stop in front of the other. She raised an eyebrow. “You left that dining hall fast.”

“Nothing’s bothering me,” Tadashi replied. He winced. He had definitely a bit too fast, and he knew Gogo picked up on it as she narrowed her eyes, squinting up at Tadashi.

“Hamada, don’t lie to me. You know I can tell.”

Tadashi let out a chuckle. “Right, right, you and your Candor lie detector. Good to see that hasn’t faded away with the four years we’ve been in Dauntless.”

“That, and the fact that you are truly an awful liar. Now spit it out, what’s going on?”

Tadashi paused, not sure quite what to say. After spotting what was definitely Hiro’s wild mop of hair among the small group of initiates entering the dining hall, his mind immediately stopped functioning. He had taken a few hasty bites of his burger, barely tasting the beef and ketchup, before he gave up and simply walked out of the cafeteria. He needed air to think, to process this.

Truthfully, he should’ve guessed this would have happened. Hiro had always been a rambunctious child and could never be satisfied with sitting in a lab for the rest of his life, left to run simulation trial and simulation trial. That, plus his numerous excursions onto Dauntless territory – which clearly had not let up, even with Tadashi’s best efforts to chase him away – it should have been clear from the start that Hiro was not meant to stay in Erudite, genius intellect or not.

Tadashi wanted to beat himself up for not accounting for this in his plans, four years ago. Now Hiro was in danger once again, and it’s _all his fault._

“Still waiting, Hamada.”

Shaking himself out of his self-loathing, Tadashi started to speak slowly, trying to piece together his words carefully. “I told you about my brother, right?”

Gogo’s thin, well-trimmed eyebrows shot upwards. “Yeah, the kid genius? You’ve mentioned him once or twice.”

“I just saw him in the dining hall.”

“Oh? The kid transferred over too?”

“Looks like it.” Tadashi sighed, running a hand through his bangs before gripping them tightly. “I really did not expect to see him here. Why didn’t he stay in Erudite?”

“Following in big bro’s footsteps, I guess.” Gogo snorted. “Wait, so why is this such a big deal anyways?”

“No, it’s not. I’m just … surprised. And a little worried. He’s not exactly what you’d call buff, and you know how initiation is.” Tadashi gnawed his lip in what he hoped was a convincingly stressed manner. “With his big brain of his, he could’ve done really well in Erudite.”

“I don’t know much about your relationship with your little brother, or your little brother in general, really, but he’s here now. What’re you going to do? Just avoid the kid forever like this?”

Tadashi frowned pensively. “I’m not really sure, Gogo.” When his friend fixed him with a cool, unimpressed look, he immediately amended, “I mean, I’ll talk to him eventually. I’m not sure what to say though.”

Gogo rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest. “Welcome him to Dauntless maybe? Give him a pat on the back for making a difficult choice? Honestly, Tadashi, this shouldn’t be this difficult.”

“I know, I know.” Tadashi attempted to wave her off nonchalantly. “Hey, let’s spar. It’s been a while, and I’m feeling myself get rusty from spending all that time working on weapons,” he joked weakly, doing his best to divert his friend's attention.

From the look she gave him, Tadashi knew she wasn’t entirely convinced, but she didn’t protest as he began to lead the way towards the training hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND WE MEET THE GANG
> 
> So it turns out they're all transfers - Honey and Fred from Amity; Hiro, Tadashi, and Wasabi from Erudite; and Gogo from Candor. She's the only one who's in Tadashi's year - everyone else in the same age as Hiro (16), for the sake of not needing OCs.
> 
> Also, I recently set up a side-blog on Tumblr. Feel free to message me and stuff, I need to spew my hidashi feels with people who understand me ;w; You can find me at trippin-those-penguins!

**Author's Note:**

> First writing attempt in a long ass time, so bear with me while I try to get back into it! I did some research into Divergent since it's been a while since I've watched/read the series, so hopefully things are more or less accurate. Feel free to let me know if anything doesn't line up, I like feedback ;w;
> 
> Also first chapter's kinda short and slow, it'll pick up I swear


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